The present invention relates to overload circuit signals for circuit breakers, and more particularly, to overload circuit signals which are portable and are activated independent of the internal circuitry of the circuit breaker.
Overload circuit breaker signals are known in the prior art as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,683,350 which discloses an electrical circuit breaker having an illuminating trip indicator. An illuminating lamp is secured to the cover of the circuit box. The depressible operating button is placed within the circuit breaker box and connected to the line side of the circuit breaker. A depressible operating button is positioned within the circuit breaker box to indicate when the circuit has been tripped. The button is depressed by an intermediate lever contained within the circuit box. When the switch is closed, a circuit is completed between the lamp and a line terminal of the circuit box to indicate that a circuit breaker has been thrown.
Another circuit breaker signal is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,633,240. It contains a light emitting diode (LED) placed internally within the circuit breaker switch. A switch for activating the LED is also located within the circuit breaker lever. The switch is activated by movement of the circuit breaker lever switch causing the switch contacts of the circuit breaker signal to come in contact with each other and illuminating the LED when the circuit breaker has been tripped.
Another circuit breaker signal is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,652,867 which includes an activating circuit internal to the circuit breaker and placed in parallel to the circuit breaker. The light emitting diode is triggered to indicate when the circuit breaker has been tripped.
Each of these prior art circuit breaker signals requires that the indicating light be interconnected with a circuit internal to the circuit breaker box. Accordingly, such circuit breaker signals are limited to utilizing complex structures specific to each circuit box to identify the tripped circuit breaker. This increases the complexity of manufacture of such circuit breaker signals as well as installation of the circuit breaker signal for individual circuit boxes. Additionally, as each circuit breaker must be integrated to the internal structure of the circuit breaker, the adaptability and portability of the circuit breaker signals to other circuit breaker signals is extremely limited.
A circuit breaker signal which is not interconnected with the internal circuitry of the circuit breaker box is known in the prior art from U.S. Pat. No. 4,611,201 which includes a magnet placed on the top of the circuit switch lever. A magnet switch is placed adjacent to the lever and opens or closes when the magnet moves in response to the tripping and resetting of the circuit. The movement of the lever causes the switch to activate a light, indicating that the lever has moved.
This device requires that a magnetic switch must be accurately aligned relative to the magnet to effect proper detection. Additionally, adaptability of such a circuit breaker signal is limited in that the magnet must be manufactured to fit each different model circuit breaker switch. Additionally, unless the magnet is permanently affixed to the circuit breaker switch, it may be inadvertently knocked off or fall off curtailing the effectiveness of such a circuit breaker switch. Additionally, assembly of such a switch would still necessitate adding additional structure to the circuit breaker switch itself.
Accordingly, a circuit breaker signal which is more adaptable to a plurality of different circuit breaker boxes and more easily usable with a plurality of circuit breakers through the independence of the circuit breaker signal from any interconnection with the circuit box is desired.